Thanks Impurrfect. I think you are absolutely right about gratitude lists.
Last Thanksgiving I was about a month into recovery, had lost my wife and destroyed my marriage. I had to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the local Grange because I didn't trust myself to be alone.
I walked around town after eating and started thinking about what I had to be thankful for. I surprised myself by coming up with a pretty good list. That exercise put me in a much better place mentally.
Recently I have been so focused on working on all of the emotional issues I have that I have forgotten how uplifting it is to just remember once in awhile that I don't really have it so bad - at least others have worse things they have to deal with in their lives, and they do ok.
By the way, my companion looks very much like your "Patches" and I am very thankful that I have him.
SunSailor59